Alexandre Vinokourov has a score to settle with the Tour de France.

Last year, he was sidelined from starting the Tour after five of his then-Astana teammates were implicated in the infamous Operación Puerto. While Vinokourov was never linked to the damaging scandal, the team didn’t meet the number of riders required to start and he spent July at home for the first time in nearly a decade.

Now the unquestioned boss of the fearsome Astana team, Vinokourov looks unstoppable as the Tour de France approaches.

At 33, it could be his last chance to win the Tour and he admits as much. In an interview earlier this season, Vinokourov told VeloNews he’s more motivated than ever to win the Tour. Here are excerpts from the interview:

VeloNews: Last year you were forced out of the Tour, how did you handle that decision?

Alexandre Vinokourov: It was very frustrating to prepare all the season for the Tour and then to have it taken away at the last moment for unfair reasons. It was difficult to try to focus on other things. My family helped me a lot. It was very hard on my head. It was unjust that they kept us out of the Tour.

VN: How far do you think you could have gone in last year’s Tour?

AV: I believed last year I could have won the Tour. I was very strong. I have the experience. I have been on the podium. I was very motivated. After missing the Tour last year, it gives me even more motivation for this year’s race.

VN: You were able to win the Vuelta. Was that in part a payback for missing the Tour?

AV: I think it was a good revenge after what happened in the Tour. It was my first victory in a grand tour. In the end, it proved to be very important for me and my career. It proved that I can do it. I will enter the Tour this year with more confidence after winning the Vuelta.

VN: You’re reaching the closing years of your career. Do you believe you still can win the Tour?

AV: I am still at 100 percent of my physical capacities. I will give it all to win the Tour this year. I am ready to win the Tour this season. I have been on the podium before at the Tour. I have won the Vuelta. I know it’s possible. I know I have the capacity.

VN: You’ve been known for your attacking style. Will that change in this year’s Tour?

AV: No, because the best way to win is to attack. It’s true in the past I would be aggressive for other reasons, to help my teammates or to try to win a stage. This year I will be more precise in my attacks, above all with the GC in mind more than anything else. I won’t stop being aggressive, if that’s what you’re asking.

VN: Do you have confidence in your team to support you?

AV: The team around me will be very strong. I have confidence in them and we have a good atmosphere on the team. We are united and there’s a good feeling. That’s the most important.

VN: Will there be a problem between you and Andreas Klöden for the leadership of the team?

AV: No, we are good friends and I asked him to come to the team. We will work together. It’s in our interests to work together. If one of us is stronger on the road, the other has agreed to work for him. There will be no problems.

VN: How important is it for you to have a Kazakhstan sponsor for the team now?

AV: It’s very good for me. It gives me double or triple motivation to be riding with the team sponsored by Kazakhstan. I like to be the leader. I was also a leader at T-Mobile. We have strong support from important people in Kazakhstan and the public is backing us as well. It only fuels our motivation.

VN: Do you think you will be a manager for the team in the future?

AV: Right now all I am thinking about is preparing for the Tour. We wanted to create a new opportunity for Kazakhstan. I am not decided what I want to do yet when I am finished with my cycling career. I will consider my options later.

VN: What do you think about all the stories about Puerto, Landis, scandals?

AV: It’s always dopage, dopage, dopage in the newspapers. It never stops. You think they would learn their lesson. I concentrate on my work to get ready for the Tour. I cannot understand the Tour — they believe they can pick who races and who doesn’t. It shouldn’t be the organization who picks the palmares. The riders should be able to fight on the roads.